Syrian man killed on motorway near Calais

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This year's death toll of refugees killed in France whilst trying to make their way to Britain rose to 15 on Thursday when a Syrian man died after being hit by a car near Calais.

A Syrian refugee died when he was hit by a car on a motorway close to the Channel Tunnel near Calais early on Thursday -- the 15th person to die trying to reach Britain from the northern French port since June.

An ambulance crew who brought the man to hospital said he was "hit by a car on the A16 motorway at Calais", close to the heavily guarded Eurotunnel site.

"The crew had to be quickly extracted from the scene because they were surrounded by around 100 migrants," the fire service said.

The man, in his 30s, died later in hospital from his injuries.

Around 4,000 people, mostly from East Africa and the Middle East, are camped around Calais, hoping to reach Britain, with around 1,000 more gathered around the port of Dunkirk, around 40 kilometres (25 miles) away, also trying to reach England.